Transfer trailer



Oct. 18, 1966 D. N. M CARTNEY 3,279,631

TRANSFER TRAILER Filed April 2, 1964 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 FIG. I

INVENTOR.

DUANE N. McCARTNEY ATTORNEYS Oct. 18, 1966 N. MGCARTNEY 3,279,631

TRANSFER TRAILER Filed April 2, 1964 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 FIG. I 3 28 I4 "I6 ill ii ill; ||i| l8 1 INVENTOR. DUANE N. MCCARTNEY b z4wf7kd ATTORNEYSUnited States Patent 3,279,631 TRANSFER TRAILER Duane N. McCartney,Pebble Beach, Calif, assiguor, by mesne assignments, to American SugarCompany, New York, N.Y.

Filed Apr. 2, 1964, Ser. No. 356,879 2 Claims. (Cl. 21484) Thisinvention relates to a transfer trailer and more particularly to atransfer trailer for transferring freight pallets with other air freightloading equipment.

In the copending applications of Thomas R. Herrman, Ser. No. 140,516,filed Sept. 25, 1961, now Patent No. 3,164,274, and Duane N. McCartneyand Victor H. Carder, Ser. No. 286,885, filed June 3, 1963, now PatentNo. 3,220,585, there is disclosed a class of equipment for loadingfreight pallets into aircraft. In that class of equipment, air freightis loaded onto pallets and is trans ferred to an aircraft by a train oflow overhead trailers and a low overhead, high lift elevator. Thefreight pallets are moved laterally off of the trailers and onto theelevator, and then the elevator is raised to the level of the aircraftfuselage to permit the pallet to be moved laterally into the aircraft.

The transfer trailer of this invention provides a conveyor transferstation between the trailers and elevator in this class of equipment topermit the equipment to be used more effectively in certain ways. Withthe elevator parked beside the aircraft in alignment with the cargohatch of the aircraft, the transfer trailer is parked beside theelevator on its opposite end from the cargo hatch. The top surface ofthe transfer trailer is provided with a conveying surface which permitscargo pallets to be moved onto the transfer trailer in a loadingdirection and moved off of the transfer trailer in an unloadingdirection perpendicular to the loading direction.

The transfer trailer thus changes the orientation of the pallets ninetydegrees during loading so that elongated rectangular pallets may betowed longitudinally in a narrow train and may then be loaded into theaircraft with their long dimensions extending transversely across thefuselage for efiicient utilization of the space in the fuselage. In thisregard, it will be noted that the conveying surface of the transfertrailer may be provided on the high lift elevator itself to effect theninety degree change in orientation on the elevator, but it is desirablefor certain reasons to provide for the change in orientation on aseparate trailer.

Thus, the transfer trailer parked beside the elevator provides anadditional freight holding station which may speed up a cargo handlingoperation. The transfer trailer may be positioned accurately inalignment with the elevator so that a pallet can be transferred betweenthe elevator and transfer trailer immediately when the elevator reachesits lower position, and the task of accurately positioning the trailersof the trailer train adjacent to the transfer trailer can be performedeasily while the elevator is in transit between its upper and lowerpositions. Additionally, the provision of the separate transfer trailerpermits the use of a conveying surface of the elevator which moves thefreight pallets in only one direction, and this is a desirable featurein the elevator since it permits the elevator conveyor to be powered,and it provides better control over the movement of the heavy freightpallets as they approach the fuselage.

It is an object of this invention to provide a new and improved transfertrailer for use in transferring freight and the like prior to loading onand after unloading off aircraft.

Another object of the invention is to provide such a transfer trailerwhich is relatively simple in design and construction.

Another object is to provide structure of the character describedcapable of receiving a load on one side of the transfer trailer anddelivering the load off any other side.

A further object is to provide a central transferring means and awalkway separating said transferring means for facilitating delivery ofcargo on and olf the transfer trailer.

Other features, objects and advantages of the present invention will beapparent from the following description of a preferred embodimentillustrated in the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a prospective view of a transfer trailer used in conjunctionwith a standard pallet trailer and a low overhead high lift trailer toload freight into an aircraft;

FIG. 2 is an isometric view of a transfer trailer constructed inaccordance with this invention; and

FIG. 3 is a vertical sectional view taken substantially as indicatedalong line 33 of FIG. 2.

Referring now in detail to the drawings and particularly to FIGS. 2 and3, the transfer trailer, generally designated 10, illustrated thereinincludes a generally rectangular chassis having end frame members 12 andside frame members 14 which support front wheel casters 16, rear wheelbrackets 18 and ground engaging wheels 20 joined by axles 22 which inturn support the chassis closely adjacent the ground. The wheels areprovided with conventional locking means not shown for locking thetrailer in a parked location. Trailer hitch member 24 is provided on thefront end frame member 12 for permitting towing and parking of thetransfer trailer, and a trailer hitch member (not shown) may be providedon the rear end of the trailer by which the trailers and a high lifttrailer may be towed together in a line.

As shown in FIG. 3 a load transferring platform spans the chassis andconsist of angle irons 26 which are welded to and supported on thechassis. Bolted to the angle irons 26 and forming a central transferringsection and an outer transferring section are inverted casters 28. Theinverted casters 28 are closely spaced together on the platform andswivel in all directions as illustrated in FIGS. 2 and 3, to permitchanging the direction of motion of a pallet or load of freight on thetrailer. The casters are the industrial type which are provided withgrease fittings and sealed to keep out moisture and dirt. A small wheelsuch as a three inch diameter wheel has been found satisfactory for thecasters and may be molded of a hard composition material, as, forexample, blended rubber or the like.

A metal walkway 30 which separates the central transferring section andthe outer transferring section is supported on angles 26 and crosses theload transferring platform both longitudinally and transversely so thatan operator can walk across the trailer While pushing a loaded palletoff of the trailer. Pallet stops 32 having operating handles 34 arepositioned between the peripehral or outer transferring section and theedge of the chassis for restricting the movement of any cargo. Thepallet stops 32, which are disclosed in a copending application of DuaneN. McCartney and Victor H. Carder, Ser. No. 286,884, filed June 3, 1963,automatically depress for loading and swing away from a pallet wheremanually retracted for unloading.

In actual operation and as shown in FIG. 1 pallet trailers 36, thetransfer trailer 10 and a low overhead high lift trailer 38 combine inthe aircraft loading operation. A body of freight 40 is mounted on athin pallet (not shown) and placed on one of a train of pallet trailers36 for transport to the aircraft. The trailers 36 are moved sequentiallyto a position beside the transfer trailer 10, and the freight body 40 ismoved off of the trailer 36 and onto the transfer trailer 10, asillustrated by the arrow in FIG. 1. The freight 40 is moved onedirection onto 3 the transfer trailer 10 and is then moved at rightangles onto a high lift trailer 38 in its lowered position. The highlift trailer is then raised and the freight 40 moved into the aircraft42. The reverse of the same general procedure is followed in anunloading operation.

While one specific embodiment of the invention has been illustrated anddescribed in detail herein, it is obvious that many modificationsthereof may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of theinvention.

I claim:

1. A trailer for handling freight pallets comprising:

(A) a chassis having a generally rectangular frame,

(B) ground engaging wheels mounted on said chassis for transporting saidframe closely adjacentto the ground,

(C) a load transferring platform supported on said chassis havingcentral transferring means and outer transferring means mounted on saidplatform around the periphery thereof for receiving a load of freight atany one of its four sides and discharging the load at any one of itsother sides, said central transferring means and said outer transferringmeans comprising a plurality of inverted casters, and

(D) a walk-way entirely separating said outer transferring means fromthe central transferring means for facilitating delivery of a load offreight on and off the platform.

2. The trailer of claim 1 characterized further by the inclusion ofpallet stop means mounted at all of the four sides of said chassis forreleasably restraining a pallet against motion off of said platform.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS GERALD M.FORLENZA, Primary Examiner.

ALBERT J. MAKAY, Examiner.

1. A TRAILER FOR HANDLING FREIGHT PALLETS COMPRISING: (A) A CHASSISHAVING A GENERALLY RECTANGULAR FRAME, (B) GROUND ENGAGING WHEELS MOUNTEDON SAID CHASSIS FOR TRANSPORTING SAID FRAME CLOSELY ADJACENT TO THEGROUND, (C) A LOAD TRANSFERRING PLATFORM SUPPORTED ON SAID CHASSISHAVING CENTRAL TRANSFERRING MEANS AND OUTER TRANSFERRING MEANS MOUNTEDON SAID PLATFORM AROUND THE PERIPHERY THEREOF FOR RECEIVING A LOAD OFFREIGHT AT ANY ONE OF ITS FOUR SIDES AND DISCHARGING THE LOAD AT ANY ONEOF ITS OTHER SIDES, SAID CENTRAL TRANSFERRING MEANS AND SAID OUTERTRANSFERRING MEANS COMPRISING A PLURALITY OF INVERTED CASTERS, AND (D) AWALD-WAY ENTIRELY SEPARATING SAID OUTER TRANSFERRING MEANS FROM THECENTRAL TRANSFERRING MEANS FOR FACILITATING DELIVERY OF A LOAD OFFREIGHT ON AND OFF THE PLATFORM.